Hi All!
I'm aiming to 3D print a pulse rifle from the movie Alien, and was looking for your advice/comments on my approach, which is generally speaking as follows:
1) Find a Model. I found a few high-quality looking 3D models of pulse rifles for $50, or some lower quality ones for free. Are there good places to find high quality free models? I don't mind paying $50 but I would rather try the concept with a free model first to keep costs down. So far I have found http://tf3dm.com/3d-model/m41-a-pulse-rifle-51410.html , which looks okay but not perfect. Do you guys know of a good place to find free 3d models?
2) Pick a 3D Printing Medium. I don't own a 3D printer myself but there are tons of 3d printers I can use from sites like http://www.3dhubs.com/ . Does anyone have thoughts on materials and roughly what they would cost? I know PVC is one of the cheaper ones at <$2/cubic inch, but would I get a level of detail that would look good on the gun?
3) Print It. Hopefully this part won't be too expensive but that depends on medium.
4) Paint It. If I get a 3d model with individual components they can be spray painted separately and then add detail work later. Also some 3d printers offer colored plastic, so I could order the parts in different colors and just use paint for the detail areas. If I make it from PVC, I assume I can look at other threads here, http://www.therpf.com/f9/best-paint-pvc-96620/
5) Add other features. I think I might be getting ahead of myself here, but at the very least I would get a sticker to put on for the LED ammo count, add a functional trigger, and possibly sound (with a battery pack fitting in the clip). Are there any resources/threads I can look at for this? Specifically on getting small LED displays that change based on trigger input, and small speakers for the gun sound effect?
All in, do you think this is doable on a budget of $200?
I'm aiming to 3D print a pulse rifle from the movie Alien, and was looking for your advice/comments on my approach, which is generally speaking as follows:
1) Find a Model. I found a few high-quality looking 3D models of pulse rifles for $50, or some lower quality ones for free. Are there good places to find high quality free models? I don't mind paying $50 but I would rather try the concept with a free model first to keep costs down. So far I have found http://tf3dm.com/3d-model/m41-a-pulse-rifle-51410.html , which looks okay but not perfect. Do you guys know of a good place to find free 3d models?
2) Pick a 3D Printing Medium. I don't own a 3D printer myself but there are tons of 3d printers I can use from sites like http://www.3dhubs.com/ . Does anyone have thoughts on materials and roughly what they would cost? I know PVC is one of the cheaper ones at <$2/cubic inch, but would I get a level of detail that would look good on the gun?
3) Print It. Hopefully this part won't be too expensive but that depends on medium.
4) Paint It. If I get a 3d model with individual components they can be spray painted separately and then add detail work later. Also some 3d printers offer colored plastic, so I could order the parts in different colors and just use paint for the detail areas. If I make it from PVC, I assume I can look at other threads here, http://www.therpf.com/f9/best-paint-pvc-96620/
5) Add other features. I think I might be getting ahead of myself here, but at the very least I would get a sticker to put on for the LED ammo count, add a functional trigger, and possibly sound (with a battery pack fitting in the clip). Are there any resources/threads I can look at for this? Specifically on getting small LED displays that change based on trigger input, and small speakers for the gun sound effect?
All in, do you think this is doable on a budget of $200?
Take my money!
